Misael Uribe, Octavio Campollo, Florencia Vargas, Gian Paolo Ravelli, Fernando Mundo, Laura Zapata, Sofia Gil, Guillermo Garcia‐Ramos – 1 July 1987 – A double‐blind, controlled trial to study the efficacy of acidifying enemas of lactitol, a new galactoside‐sorbitol disaccharide, and lactose vs. nonacidifying tapwater enemas was performed in 45 episodes of acute portal‐systemic encephalopathy. At the time of randomization, all patients had encephalopathy of at least Grade 2+ severity, delay in the performance of number connection tests and hyperammonemia.

Charles J. Lightdale – 1 July 1987 – Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is an effective means of treatment in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, in many cases of HCC the tumor recurs after treatment. In an attempt to obtain complete tumor necrosis, the authors studied the clinical and histologic effect of simultaneous embolization of both the hepatic artery and portal vein in ten patients with HCC.

1 July 1987

Josep Terés, Josep M. Bordas, Dolores Bravo, Josep Visa, Luis Grande, Juan Carlos Garcia‐Valdecasas, Cristóbal Pera, Joan Rodés – 1 May 1987 – One hundred and twelve consecutive Child Class A and B cirrhotic patients were included in a prospective controlled trial aimed at investigating the efficacy and safety of endoscopic sclerotherapy vs. distal splenorenal shunt in the elective treatment of hemorrhage from esophagogastric varices. Fifty‐seven patients were randomly allocated to splenorenal shunt and 55 to endoscopic sclerotherapy.

Warren D. Lo, Steven R. Ennis, Gary W. Goldstein, David L. McNeely, A. Lorris Betz – 1 May 1987 – The role of changes in blood‐brain barrier permeability in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy remains uncertain. To test the hypothesis that brain microvessel permeability is nonselectively increased in hepatic encephalopathy we measured the blood‐brain barrier permeability‐surface area product in rats with acute liver failure induced by intraperitoneal injection of galactosamine.

Eike Walter, Hubert E. Blum, Wolf‐Bernhard Offensperger, Christine Zeschnigk, Silke Offensperger, Wolfgang Gerok – 1 May 1987 – Factors determining the sensitivity and specificity of the spot‐blot hybridization technique for the detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum were systematically investigated. Methods for pretreatment of serum samples, mode of application of the samples to the transfer membranes, blot treatment and hybridization conditions were all found to affect the sensitivity of the assay.

J. Genesca, R. Jardi, M. Buti, L. Vives, S. Prat, J. I. Esteban, R. Esteban, J. Guardia – 1 May 1987 – To evaluate the effect of hepatitis delta virus on the level of replication of hepatitis B virus and to assess the clinical significance that such an effect might have on the final outcome of the infection, the serological profile of hepatitis B virus DNA was investigated in 153 patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B virus infection with or without associated delta infection.

Robert G. Knodell – 1 May 1987

M. Zamirul Hussain, John A. Watson, Rajendra S. Bhatnagar – 1 May 1987 – Primary monolayer cultures of rat hepatocytes at confluence were exposed to an exogenously added source of superoxide, and its influence on collagen synthesis was examined. Superoxide was generated by the addition of dihydroxyfumarate to the culture medium. Exposure of hepatocytes to dihydroxyfumarate greatly stimulated the activity of prolyl hydroxylase and the synthesis of collagen.

Harold O. Conn – 1 May 1987 – This paper reports the preliminary results of a prospective randomized trial comparing endoscopic variceal sclerosis and distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) in the management of patients with cirrhosis and variceal bleeding. Seventy‐one patients have been entered; 36 have received sclerosis and 35 DSRS. Randomization of the study population was stratified on Child's A/B (56%) and Child's C (44%). Sixty‐one per cent had alcoholic and 39% nonalcoholic cirrhosis. No patients have been lost to follow‐up, which currently stands at a median of 26 months.